Wednesday, August 12, 2015

WAAH -- Separation of Powers is Hard!

Echoing the theme of a lawsuit filed last week in federal court by
two Pensacola Republican Party officials, several lawmakers used their
opening day speeches to accuse the court of violating the legislature’s
First Amendment rights by requiring it to justify its map-drawing
decisions in an open and transparent way.

“We are under direction
by a court that continues, over and over again, to exceed their
constitutional authority,” said Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Trinity, after
the House adjourned. “When one branch goes deep into other areas, the
people lose. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

State
Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, accused the court of inhibiting free speech
when it ordered that all map-making decisions be made in the open. Lee
said that violated his right to speak freely with colleagues, the House
and even constituents about the maps.

“Who are they?” Lee asked of the court. “This has gotten out of hand. To me this is just a big overreach by the court.”

It wasn't the Florida Supreme Court that told these idiots to stop with the gerrymandering, it was the Florida voters in the form of a constitutional amendment. Democracy sucks when you're a totalitarian good ol' boy network.